Sunday April 3, 2022, 1:43 p.m. in Italy: My father and I made it and successfully reached the finish line of the marathon on Lake Garda. In total, it took us 4 hours and 43 minutes and I ran it entirely in leguanos as planned.
42 kilometers in barefoot shoes through the magnificent landscape around Lake Garda
Our goal was to run the entire marathon together and finish well. We achieved that, and even in under 5 hours. From km 25 onwards my feet and ankles were really hurting, but the adrenaline and the beautiful scenery made up for it. The last 2 km were hell - but that was the case for everyone 😉 .
Two days later I was able to walk normally again and my wife and I went on a few hikes through Liguria in our new leguanos.
How I came across leguano barefoot shoes
I originally bought barefoot shoes for jogging because my previous shoes were causing problems with my knees and ankles when I put a certain amount of strain on them. I then came across the tip about barefoot shoes on the internet. When the pain in my joints stopped coming back, I decided to try longer distances. I also always wanted to run a marathon with my father, who has already run a few on his own.
Now I've definitely got a taste for marathons and running competitions. For the next marathon, it's not just about finishing, but also running a slightly better time of under 4:20 hours. At some point I'd also like to run one in under 4 hours (but since I'm actually mainly a martial artist, I'm not in a hurry to do that).
My running leguanos are now worn out. So I'm going to get a new pair and then start optimizing my training. That means I need a heart rate monitor and interval training is a must. Here we go again!
Pius F.
Pius has been preparing for the Lake Garda 42 Marathon since August 2021 and has covered over 850 kilometers in leguanos during this time alone.